Diocesan, Episcopal Church, and Anglican Communion Responsibilities
This category of the budget represents expenses relating to our life as a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the Anglican Communion.
The largest item of $594,000 is the Diocese of Ohio’s share of the Episcopal Church’s budget, as adopted by General Convention. The 2010 figure is $18,200 lower than 2009, due to lower assessment income in 2008 vs. 2007. At the 2009 General Convention, the exemption was raised by $20,000 to $120,000, which saves the Diocese $4,200 in 2010. The assessment rate was decreased by 1% for the years 2011 and 2012, which will save the Diocese additional funds in these years. Full payment of our calculated share is a long-standing commitment of the diocese. This amount is calculated as follows:
(2008 Operating Income less $120,000) x 21%
The provincial synod assessment of $6,735 is calculated at 1.1% of our assessment to the national church ($612,200 x 1.1%). The amounts for travel to province education events and the travel to provincial synod were eliminated in the 2010 budget, since these amounts are not needed.
Expenses of the annual Diocesan Convention decrease by $8,000 to $17,000. The audio-visual cost was substantially reduced for 2010. An amount of $2,000 is budgeted for Diocesan Council in 2010, which pays for copies, postage, and the annual orientation meeting in December for the full Council.
The allocation for Reserve for Travel to General Convention is decreased by $3,000 to $12,000. An endowment fund provides income for the triennial General Convention and these funds, along with existing reserves, are estimated to be adequate for the 2012 Convention in Indianapolis, IN. The Reserve for Travel – Lambeth Conference was not funded in 2010, due to remaining reserves from the 2008 Conference. Funding for the 2018 Conference is expected to commence in 2011. The amount for Reserve for Future Episcopal Transition was decreased by $10,000 to $5,000. Current levels and the addition of investment earnings are adequate for the present time; additional funds may be needed in later years.
